ABRASIONS DO HEAL
Harry awoke on the last day of the vacation with excitement lacing his veins. The next day, he would be heading to Hogwarts for another year! Cringing, he hoped that no untoward events would take place. Or maybe I just jinxed it, thinking like that, Harry mused ruefully.
"Harry? HARRY!"
Harry looked over to see both Hermione and Ron waving over at him rather furiously from where they had secured a table at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. He jogged up to them, grinning but somehow inexplicably glad that Fuhrer was not with him. Explaining that would've been rather catastrophic, with Ron insisting on meeting him and Hermione undoubtedly grilling him on why he thought it was such a good idea to keep a stray. What am I supposed to say to that? Oh, Hermione, he was just too adorable despite his frankly terrifying size and disturbingly long canines? Yeah, no.
"Harry, you mad lad," Ron beamed, "Did you really use magic on your Aunt?"
"Ron, don't sound so happy about that! He could've been expelled," Hermione frowned rather severely, "Besides, she could've been very hurt which would've been Harry's fault."
Harry's mood souring quickly, he said, "Well, she should've been nicer. She was literally insulting my parents! Don't tell me you would've just sat there and listened to it." At this, Hermione winced a bit, although her frown did not ease.
"Yes, but still…" She trailed off, being interrupted by Ron.
"Lay off it, Hermione," He said, nudging her softly. "I'm sure Harry's heard too much about it over these few days. We still need to get some stuff for school, you wanna join us, Harry?"
Gratefully, Harry nodded and they made their way through the Alley to Flourish and Blotts to buy the school books. As they approached the shop, he abruptly remembered the gift Hagrid had given him for his birthday.
"Oh, does one of you have Care of Magical Creatures? Hagrid gave me the book for that subject but I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't actually taking it."
"Good for you, Harry, I'll take that," Ron said, seemingly amused. "Did you know this insane girl's taking ALL the extra subjects?"
"What, really?" Harry asked, bewildered. "What use is Muggle studies to either of us? We're both Muggle-raised!"
"Ah, I thought it would be interesting," Hermione shrugged, Harry and Ron exchanging glances over her shoulder. "But then what subjects are you taking, Harry? I thought you were taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination."
That's because you didn't bother asking me, he thought. Out loud, he simply said, "Study of Ancient Runes and Divination."
"Really? Runes? I didn't think you'd be interested in that," Hermione hummed absent-mindedly.
Harry blinked, caught off-guard. Well, that's one way to sound condescending.
As they completed their purchases, the conversation picked up once more.
"Let's visit the Magical Menagerie, I want to buy an animal," Hermione announced, leading the way, her bag nearly bursting. "Harry's got Hedwig and Ron's got Errol and Scabbers, after all."
Ron grimaced faintly, producing a misshapen lump from one of his pockets, "Errol isn't mine, he's the entire family's. Besides, I don't think I'll have Scabbers for much longer. Look at his state! He's been losing fur and eating less since we went to Egypt. Don't think it agreed with him, honestly."
Harry winced, eyeing the animal with pity. Although he'd seen the rat right before summer, it looked as though it had aged fifteen years over the course of two months. "Didn't you say he's been in your family for more than a dozen years now, Ron? That's a really long time for a pet rat to live."
"Maybe," he said, examining the rat carefully.
Once they'd entered the Menagerie, Harry found his attention wandering as Hermione flitted around indecisively and Ron talked softly to the shop assistant. He roamed through the shop, looking through the colourful displays of toys and treats. Maybe Fuhrer would like something from here.
His considerations were interrupted by a shrill screech and he turned, shell-shocked as a large orange blur landed roughly on top of Ron's hair, creating a melange of reds and oranges. Off to the side, Hermione flinched sharply at the din, dropping whatever was in her hand with a loud clang, adding to the chaos. In all the mayhem, Ron's grip loosened and Scabbers darted off with a terrified squeak, somehow managing to slip past all the people and out into the street despite his alleged ill health.
A moment later, Harry rushed out, swiftly followed by Ron himself, trying to track down a small rat in an alley full of people doing their last-minute shopping.
When they returned to find Hermione cuddling that same cat, similar looks of contentment on both of their faces, Harry should've realised all the squabbling that would follow through the year, especially considering the outraged expression on Ron's usually cheery face.
It had been less than a day but Harry was beyond tired. Ron and Hermione had not laid rest to their fighting since the day before and Harry really just wished that he could slip away. For Merlin's sake, he hadn't even had the time to tell them what he'd found out! Apparently, Sirius Black was after him and no one had had the decency to tell that to his face.
At least I still have Fuhrer, Harry smiled as he felt the dog nudge into his legs. The dog was under the Invisibility Cloak and as of yet, had remained as still as he could while still remaining close to Harry. That morning when Harry had presented the Cloak to Fuhrer and explained the situation to him, Fuhrer had simply stared at the Cloak for a little while before gently nuzzling his face against Harry's and letting Harry drape the fabric over him. Small mercies. I'm glad he seems to understand me so well.
Fed up with his friends' incessant arguing, Harry stormed off, boarding the Train on his own and looking through the compartments in hopes of finding someone decent to share one with. He lit up as he noticed Ginny and Neville with another blonde sitting in one, chatting quietly.
"Do you guys mind if I sit here?" He asked, not wanting to seem as though he was intruding. Behind him, Fuhrer remained a steady presence.
"Of course, Harry!" Nevilled smiled. "You can sit with us whenever. Though, why aren't you with Hermione or Ron? Not that I mean to pry or anything!" His quick backtracking made Harry laugh as he slipped into the compartment and made sure Fuhrer was able to, as well.
"I do mean to pry." Ginny said, flatly. "They're arguing again, right? You can come sit with us whenever they're being stupid."
"Why would they be arguing?" Neville said, a concerned furrow appearing between his brows.
As the train started moving, Ginny began bringing Neville up to date on the other two and Harry took the chance to observe the unknown blonde in front of him. She was sitting next to Ginny, who was directly across from him. In some ways, the girl vaguely reminded him of Daphne. She had a similar hair colour and length, although this girl's hair was much wispier and seemed somewhat neglected in contrast to Daphne's sleek, tidy style. Her eyes are lovely, Harry noted. They were light grey and wide, contributing to her ghostly aura, a far-off look in them even as she observed him back.
"So, I don't think you've met Luna before, have you, Harry?" Ginny asked, jolting Harry from his observations.
A little sheepishly, he shook his head, embarrassed at being caught staring at some unknown girl. Ginny just smiled knowingly, "This is Luna Lovegood. Luna, that's Harry Potter."
"Oh, I've seen him here and there before. He's always surrounded by Alutawis. Though they seem to be a bit lesser now. I'm glad," she hummed, waving her hand.
Even her voice is as fragile as she seems from her appearance, he realised. "What is Alutawis?"
Luna lit up at the question as Ginny groaned playfully. At least Neville seems as confused as I do, he thought, his lips twisting into a pout. I really hate being out of the loop.
"Alutawis is a Creature that sustains itself on negative emotions! It clings to you if you've been particularly unhappy for a while. They can even take over a person if they so wish!" She explained, smiling sweetly as though she weren't explaining literal nightmare fuel.
"I… see," Harry said slowly, really not seeing. He looked towards Ginny and Neville for some help, but Neville himself seemed creeped out ,which seemed fair, and Ginny simply had her eyebrows raised and arms crossed, as though saying he deserved the confusion.
Softly humming to herself, Luna tilted her head, a radish earring peeking out from within her straggly hair as she looked off to an area near Harry's feet. The humour draining from his face, he abruptly realised that Fuhrer was laying at the exact same spot that Luna seemed intent on drilling holes into with her intense stare. Uneasily, he shifted as he felt Fuhrer press his snout into his shin in silent comfort.
"Is something wrong, Luna? You're staring pretty intensely." Neville spoke, eager to change the subject.
"Oh, nothing really," she said, blinking as though not expecting them to address her. "I was just listening to the Piccula Spias talk amongst themselves."
What're those, now?
"The what?" Ginny said, sounding bemused.
"Oh, they're little creatures similar to pixies. They're much less destructive though, at least when it comes to belongings. They love secrets!"
"And what secrets are they telling you?" Neville asked, Harry recoiling as though physically struck. They'll find out about Fuhrer! Beside him, Fuhrer shifted restlessly.
As he waited for the other shoe to drop, Luna simply shook her head, her hair wilder from the movement. "They're not my secrets to tell. Sorry, Neville, I'm afraid I can't tell you."
Harry relaxed as subtly as he could at Luna's serene tone and depression. Somehow, I get the feeling she's not the kind to just spill someone else's secrets. He grinned at her gratefully watching as she returned a soft smile.
The lightheartedness in the compartment gave way to confusion however as the train slowly halted to a stop. All four of them exchanged surprised glances and Fuhrer pressed himself impossibly close to Harry, as if sensing something.
"Are we there? This soon?" Neville wondered out loud.
"No, I don't think we're there yet. It takes about a few more hours to reach Hogwarts, I think," Harry pointed out, watching Ginny wipe the glass and peer outside into the sudden darkness.
Shivering, he wound his arms around himself as the atmosphere steadily grew colder and colder. Did I catch a cold or something? Harry frowned. No, the others seemed just as uncomfortable by the drop in temperature.
Suddenly the lights fizzled out and they all flinched as screams began echoing out.
The compartment door opened and two people came in, one of them accidentally knocking into Fuhrer and exclaiming an apology.
"Fred and George?! Is that you?" Ginny demanded, her usual strong voice strangely shaky and thin. The newcomers came in and one sat beside the girls, pulling them into a side-hug while the other stood near the door as if guarding them.
"Yep, it's us. You guys okay?" one of them said. Harry really couldn't be bothered to parse out which one in these off-putting circumstances.
"It's complete mayhem out there," the other frowned. "Why did we stop here anyway?"
"None of us knows." Harry spoke, his own voice distressingly weak. It felt as though some force had deliberately sapped away all of his energy.
"Awh, Harry, you sound exhausted," Fred - or maybe George? - said, finally sitting down and pulling both him and Neville into a hug. Trembling, head to toe, he gathered closer as he felt the chill seep into his bones. Beside him, Fuhrer licked at his ankle almost apologetically. Before he could understand why exactly the gesture struck him as such, the compartment door flew open again, except this time he could tell the thing standing there was a danger.
It was tall, inhumanly so, and was covered completely in what looked like a cloak. A hand was outstretched in front of it and Harry heard Neville suppress a whimper near his ear. The creature brought in a fresh wave of freezing cold and what Harry now recognized as helplessness and despair that pressed itself deep under Harry's skin. As he struggled to keep breathing, he heard Luna sob quietly and Ginny began panicking.
Harry would've been more concerned had he been able to tear his eyes off the absolutely disgusting sight that the… thing's hand was. It looked skeletally thin, and Harry could count the veins and bones even from that distance. The skin, if he could call it that, was stark white, a startling contrast to the rest of the figure, which seemed as though it were made from darkness itself.
He flinched as the hand withdrew, the figure seemingly catching onto his horrified stare. It inched closer and Harry pressed himself further into Fred's side as his arm curled protectively over his shoulders. His breaths were coming in quicker now, so quick that he almost couldn't take in his fill before inhaling once before. Distantly, he realised that he was panicking badly. But the clamouring in his head grew louder and louder as the creature drew closer as though fascinated by his reaction. Shuddering, he closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the pressure behind them when he heard it, his eyes jerking open wide.
A scream. Piercingly loud, almost shocking him out of his panic.
He didn't have time to wonder why it sounded so familiar before he felt darkness creep into his vision and he closed his eyes once again, although now he was almost worryingly calm. Before he understood what was happening, he passed out, failing to notice the bright flash of white.
As Harry drifted awake, he slowly became aware of the dull ache in his limbs as well as the climbing pain in his head. It felt as though he'd been simultaneously ploughed over by the Knight Bus and the Hogwarts Express all at once. As he blinked, trying to get rid of the dizziness, the previously hazy voices began clearing.
"How long has he been like that?"
"Not very long, Professor. He passed out a few seconds before that spell of yours. It shouldn't take him much longer to wake up."
Is that George? Or maybe, Fred?
He seemed to have made some sort of sound because quickly, the hushed whispers stopped and instead a hand came to lift his chin out of the very comfortable pillow… oh no, that was someone's chest, wasn't it? With some embarrassment, Harry noticed that he was still cradled in someone's arms.
"Harry? Are you alright?"
With a spike of pain in his forehead (it honestly felt like it was coming from his scar, which was bizarre), Harry finally lifted himself up and met the eyes of a kind-looking man with somewhat shabby clothes and messy brown hair. Although his face and hands were riddled with heavy, painful scars, it didn't take away from the kindness that seemed to exude from the man.
"Er, I'm better now, I suppose. Can't imagine passing out as being alright. What… happened? What were those…" his nose wrinkled as he thought of a way to describe those creatures, "... things?"
Or maybe just call them things. It sounds like a stellar idea to not think right now, ugh.
"They were Dementors, they usually guard the wizard prison Azkaban. Nasty creatures, they are. They feed on happiness such that all positive feelings or experiences of a person are sucked out of their very being. I'd recommend not being in the vicinity of a Dementor for too long," the man gave a half-hearted smile, obviously trying to make light of the situation. "We haven't met before, have we? I'm Remus Lupin, I'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor this year."
Harry frowned as the man continued conversing with the other occupants of the compartment. Although Neville and Ginny were both extremely pale and Luna was obviously fresh from a fit of crying, it seemed as though he was the only one who had passed out. Why was I the only one who was affected so deeply?
"Before I take your leave, here, have some chocolate. I've found that some chocolate always helps lighten one's mood." With another light-hearted smile and a wave, the man left, presumably to check up on other students.
"Are you really alright, Harry?" Neville asked, tear tracks still glistening on his face. "That was terrifying."
Unintentionally ignoring the boy, Harry frowned thoughtfully at the open compartment door, that man was so familiar.
Familiar… Familiar… I feel like I'm forgetting something… but what?... Wait!
"Who screamed?" He asked, unknowingly interrupting what Ginny had been saying.
"Scream…?" George said, visibly confused. "Harry, no one screamed."
But then what did I hear..? Before he could ponder further, he was tackled by a large black blur and a sudden amount of licking and sniffing. Giggling, he tried to ward Fuhrer off, his miserable mood already lifting.
"Fuhrer, stop!" He said, between bouts of laughter. "I'm alright now, I promise. I hope the Dementors didn't affect you too badly. Wait, can Dementors affect animals?"
"As far as we know, they do but not to the extent of a human." Fred answered cheerily, eyeing the dog with great interest. "Who's your friend, Harry?"
Oops. "Erm, that's… Fuhrer, my new pet dog." Harry answered hesitantly, his eyes taking in the frankly hilarious expressions on the others' faces. While Ginny was just gaping, Neville looked like he was going to burst out into a fresh wave of tears at the sudden appearance.
"Could you guys do me a favour and not let anyone know about Fuhrer? I don't think I'm supposed to have him, really." Harry said sheepishly.
"Well, where are you going to keep him then? I doubt you're gonna be able to keep him hidden for much longer in the dorms regardless of how you managed to hide him from us."
Giggling internally at the panicked look on Neville's face at that idea, he shook his head. "I honestly don't know where I can keep him such that he won't be discovered."
"You could keep him in the Forest! There are many clearings in there that will be a perfect place for Fuhrer," Luna piped up, wiping at her now dry tears.
"The Forbidden Forest…?" George said slowly. "I'm not sure how I feel about that place, to be honest."
Frankly, Harry agreed, what with the mess that happened in First Year with Quirrel and Voldemort and the Acromantulas…
"Oh, that's no worries! The Thestrals will protect him; they're fond of canines. Besides, I've been there many times and there's nothing too dangerous there!" Luna said, her usual upbeat belaying nothing about her concerning words.
"Freddy, I'm not quite happy about eleven year olds traipsing about in such an infamous place," George blinked. "But if Little Miss Wanderer says it's alright, it should be, no?"
"Why, I agree with you, dearest Georgie," Fred said, winking at Harry. "Looks like we'll be helping you with Fuhrer, huh, ickle Harry? We'll help you with his food and toys or something! And we'll make sure no one finds out about him either, lion's honour."
Relieved, Harry nodded. Fuhrer's whereabouts had been one of Harry's major concerns and now he could lay at rest some of his fretting.
Looking out the window, Ginny said, "Looks like we're at Hogwarts for real now. I don't know about you guys but I'm positively starving after that dreadful experience."
In clear agreement, Fuhrer barked sharply, the rest of the teens dissolving into giggles as he wagged his tail, clearly pleased at having helped lift the mood.
Author's Note-
Moody: Neville's parents suffered a fate worse than death...
Harry: They got EXPELLED?
Moody: ...